Shroud of the Avatar: Forsaken Virtues - Kickstarter Updates

1hr 28mins of developer broadcast. Shrine of killing children, client servers, social as you want to be and sometimes the video works (sound seems fine though). Update: they are stream live atm.

We are hosting a LIVE Developer broadcast today at 3pm CST at our Portalarium Studio. You can steam it on our Ustream channel (http://www.ustream.tv/channel/portalarium) and will be able to post questions directly to Richard and his team. Hope to "see" you there!

Actually I was watching when they mentioned how you would pay for a few things. For instance the chapters (there will be 5) would be a payment for the next chapter, and with what Richard said it would be like doubling the game world. He also said if they added a city or something inbetween chapters it would be free and just something they were adding. Housing was if you had one on their servers there would be a charge since it would require upkeep. Didn't say how much though.

They also kept mentioning it was hard to keep up with the questions since that program was so poor and I can attest for that it was awful.

The interview with Iolo, I think, really captures the sensibility and presentation of the Ultimas. The thing that I always found initially attractive was that everyone was gathering almost as if they were coming from a Renaissance Fair and were getting together to tell stories with a wink and a nod. Always colorful. Always fun.

What can I say, I thought Lord British had gone off his rocker years ago with no meds in the world strong enough to bring him back.
What they are saying in all the video's I have watched seem to me like he is back to his old form. I sure hope so, so I can be proud once again for having the 8 virtues tattooed on my legs…

Originally Posted by CelticFrost
What can I say, I thought Lord British had gone off his rocker years ago with no meds in the world strong enough to bring him back.
What they are saying in all the video's I have watched seem to me like he is back to his old form. I sure hope so, so I can be proud once again for having the 8 virtues tattooed on my legs…

That sounds sexy as hell j/k

I installed the complete ultima 7 with exult last night….oh glory days.

I spent a few hours this morning pouring over all the information released to-date in the form of articles, interviews, and videos.

I'm having a sort of bi-polar response to everything. For each thing I learn about the game that I think will be good follows a discussion of some aspect of the game where I think to myself, 'ewwww.'

At this point, 50% of what is being discussed I like, and 50% of what is being discussed I'm either agnostic about or I think, 'ewwww.'

I will likely make a pledge simply because I do have faith in Garriot's story telling abilities. I hope as development moves forward things can evolve for the better when it comes to the single player experience. Hopefully kickstarter particpants will have a 'voice' that will be taken seriously.

-- If I'm right but there is no wife around to acknowledge it, am I still right?

Garriot is far too in love with social and casual gaming for me to trust him on this project. Furthermore, I think this Kickstarter project is more of a marketing tool than anything to be taken seriously. I doubt that the money being raised is crucial to funding, or that any input put forth by backers will be met by more than a polite nod.

As much as I'm curious about what he can accomplish and the direction being taken, I'll wait for reviews.

I've tried to avoid hearing too much about this since it seemed not to be what i was hoping it to be as soon as I had heard the words "multiplayer" and "housing".

Seeing this and the reaction to it by our community, though, I can't help but to feel a little intrigued after all. I would only be playing single player offline. What's the word on that? Or on the core Ultima value: a living, breathing fantasy world where every NPC has her own life and a story to tell. Screens and videos I've seen so far didn't give a strong impression on that…

Garriott just posted this in the comments, and it puts some things to rest.:

To get the current state of the persistent world, you would have to play online. If you are asking "If I play exclusively offline, can I still own a house?" then likely so, likely without "taxes". My honest expectation before starting this campaign, was that while the game could be played offline for periods of time, I did not expect people to desire to "never connect". based on player feedback, we are now exploring the "never connect" option. We should be able to provide it. We are researching these details now.

Regardless, we are not building a social micro transaction game. We will only be charging for large new downloads and things that also cost us to support. I believe we are building a game with the best features of solo player and MMO experience, WITHOUT costing YOU or US nearly as much as MMO's have in the past.

I also remember reading elsewhere, however, that they are very much planning microtransactions and emphasizing the social elements. Vague plans about the SP mode being more than a minor addition are not enough to change my mind.

Originally Posted by Moorkh
I would only be playing single player offline. What's the word on that? Or on the core Ultima value: a living, breathing fantasy world where every NPC has her own life and a story to tell. Screens and videos I've seen so far didn't give a strong impression on that…

From what I understand, you'll be able to play completely offline in your own single-player storyline if you want. That story will have an actual end. The online stuff is optional and potentially creates a more dynamic world. But you can play unplugged if you want for the entire game. That is my impression, based on watching the developer videos. They have mentioned repeatedly they are aiming for the interactivity of Ultima VII.

Thanks. That sounds somewhat reassuring, at least, especially that "based on player feedback" part.
I don't care for the Ultima V-style zoomed-out overland mode. Yet even the towns look empty and, frankly, quite crude. Yet you mention Ultima VII-style interactivity. Did they address this disparity?
And why the hell would they focus on combat in their prototype? Nobody ever played any of the good Ultimas because they enjoyed the combat!

What you have seen so far was just templates really, they have mentioned a lot has not been done in the art department and was meant as more a tech demo.

There is a great advantage to having a blown out map in that they can add things to the game easier then a monoscale map. Since you just add a location flag and boom a new area. Which is something they are hoping to have, such as new towns springing up etc.

Originally Posted by killias2
I also remember reading elsewhere, however, that they are very much planning microtransactions and emphasizing the social elements. Vague plans about the SP mode being more than a minor addition are not enough to change my mind.

Social elements were meant as social as in, talking to other people etc, not zynga social.

Originally Posted by rune_74
There is a great advantage to having a blown out map in that they can add things to the game easier then a monoscale map. Since you just add a location flag and boom a new area. Which is something they are hoping to have, such as new towns springing up etc.

How so? 2D maps have never had any trouble closing off some part of themselves to the player using mountains or other obstacles, maybe an avalanche or a magical barrier. The blown-up map just distances me from the game world, and I really don't see the attraction of having towns just "spring up" in a Ultima-style detailed game world.